Railway-tie



(No Model.)

M. HAGARTY.

RAILWAY TIB.

No. 395,134. Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

Nirn

VMICHAEL HAGARTY, OF "WEST BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

RI LWAVJVI E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,134, dated December 215, 1888.

Application filed August 25, 1888. Serial No. 283,801. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, MICHAEL HAGARTY, a citizen of the United States, residing' at lest Bay City, in the county of' Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railwayflies; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

This invention. relates to improvements in metal ties for railroads, and pertains more especially to that class of' metal ties which are formed of two longitudinal sections having laterally-entended flanges to receive and support the rails, and provided with upwardlyprojecting elutchi ng devices for engaging with the rai l-fianges to retain the rails thereon; and the invention consists in means for retaining ihe said tie-sections in a proper position in relation to each other, and in the locking devices for retaining the clutchin devices in engagement with the rail-flanges, and 'in the combination, arrangement, and construction of the several parts of the device, as I hereinafter more `f'ully describe, and especially point out in the claims.

The objects of my invention are to provide a railroad-tie of metal, which is at the same time cheap and easily constructed and also durable an d effective in its operation, and also to arrange a metal railroad-tie with suitable devices for clainpingthe rail in position, and with locking devices whereby the said clamping devices are held in position t'or securing the rail to the tie; and a further and more important object is to provide a railway-tie which is arranged to quickly clamp the rail in position or to release the saine, as 'lesired, and which will at all times retain the rails in proper position relative to each other, and which may be easily ballasted and supported, whereby a great saving' in labor ol' railway construction and repairs is obtained, and a more lasting, permanent, and 'substantial road is provided, which greatly reduces the liability of accident and the cost oi' operation.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichn Figure 1 represents a side view, in elevation, of my improved railway-tie, showing the rails clamped in position; and Fig. 2 is a plan view oi' the saine. Fig. 3 represents the saine with the parts in position before the rail is clamped, and Fig. a is a plan view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a section of Fig. l taken at x az. Fig. 7 is a section of Fig. l taken at y y. Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of the tie-section, or onehalf oi' the improved tie, before the parts are joined together. Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of one end of the part shown in Fig. 8,

with the rail-clamps in a modified form.

Similar letters designate the saine parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Fig. 8, o represents a bar or plate of iron rolled to the required thickness and with its upper edge turned outward, forniing an upper flange, h, at right angles with the vertical body portion c, and, as shown in the illustration, the lower edge is also turned outward in the saine direction and formed into a lower iiange, d, the plate or bar a being cut to the required length to forni a railway-tie. ln the central portion of the vertical body c is formed a longitudinal slot, e, and

the end portions of the body are alsoV provided with t-he oblique slots f and g, which, for convenience, are shown as inclined in the saine direction. Through the central portion of the upper iiange, b, is formed atransverse slot, la, and near the ends -of' the flange d is provided the raised clamping devices e' and j, which may be Jformed, shownin Fig. 8, by partially cutting the portion from. the plate and raising it upwardly to the required distance; or, shown in Fig. .l, the clamping portion may be 'orlned separately and rigidly attached to the plate by bolts or rivets lt'.

Referring now to the remaining illustrations shown in the drawings, the improved railway-tie is formed by placing two of the before-describeril longitudinal tie-sections, a and ce', with the outer surfaces of their vertical body portions c and c bearing against each other and with their iiauges projecting in opposite directions. This brings the central slots c and e o i Viosite or coincident with IOO .4o the base-flanges of the rails.

each other, and through these slots is passed a bolt, m, which is provided with washer n and a nut, l, which is screwed to a position to hold the parts against each other, but stillallow a longitudinal movement thereof, if desired. This position of the sections c and a also brings the clamping devices in a position that the clamps t' and j et the section a will reach upon or engage with one side flange of 1o each rail, while the other clamping-pieces, i

and 7" of the section a will reach upon and engage with the opposite side flanges ol the rails. lVhen the ti e-sections are moved to a position for securing the rails, as shown in V Figs. l and 2, and in which position, also, the

oblique end slots, j" and g, in the section a cross the oblique slots j" and g in the section a, and which of course incline in the opposite direction an d leave tree open in at the crosszo ings oil the slots through bot-h portions c and c', and through which, when the rails are clamped in position, are passed the bolts o, provided with suitable washers, q, and nuts p, which are screwed tightly down to retain the plates rigidly in position for holding the rails in place.

In practice the improved ties are placed in position upon the road-bed au d resting upon the lower flanges with the bolts o removed 3o and the sections a and c moved to the position shown in Figs. 3 and l. The rails are then laid in position between the clamping devices, a wrench, s, provided with downwardly-projecting lugs fr, is placed with the 3 5 lugs r in engagement with the slots h and 7L',

which on operating the wrench in the required direction moves the tie-sections endwise in opposite directions and closes the clamping devices 'i and j and fr and j upon This position of' the tie-sections then provides openings at the crossings ot' the oblique slots f and j" and g and g', throughwhich the bolts o are passed, and the nuts p then being tightly screwed in place the parts are vfirmly loekedand held in position, the oblique slots being so arranged that no matter' what reasonable variation may exist in the rail-lianges they will cross each other and form a free opening for the bolts o,

5o which, when in ]q)osition,firmly lock the ticsections, as the oblique form of' the slots prevents any longitudinal movement of the tiesections so long' as the bolts are in position, and the rails and clamping devices prevent any vertical movement of the tie-sections.

The clamping devices 'il and t" and 7' and 7" are shown as formed by cutting out and striking up a portion of the flanges b and b; but the same may be formed of." separate pieces 6o and attached securely to the surface of the flanges or tie-surface proper, as shown in Fig. Sl, or in any other convenient manner.

It will be seen, of course, that by forming the tie-sections ct and a as set forth a great advantage is gained in the manufacture and shipping' of the parts, as only one set of punches and dies is required to construct the sections, both being the same, and that no especial care and attention are needed to put the parts together to `f'orm the tie complete, and the tie sections an d bolts can be forwarded separately to their destination and put together as needed for use.

Another and great advantage is the ease with which a railway can be constructed with the improved ties and the e'tl'ective and permanent support afforded by the clamping devices and the tie-surface :for the rails, all oi' the clamps closing iirmly against the lateral edges of the railsflanges, as well as over the same, so that a more solid and uniform support for the `rail is obtained, and the tie-seetions being all of the same pattern, when the rails are secu red. to the ties they are at once brought to a uniform gage, from which there is no liability or chance o't' departure.

The width off the lower flanges, (Z and d',

maybe regulated to suit the circumstances in which they are placed and the material of thc road-bed, and, as shown in Fig. 5,1nay be made quite narrow to permit the ballast to be tamped beneath the upper flanges in order to level and support the rails, or may be formed wider, as shown in Fig. 7, so that they will operate to support the rails upon the road-bed. independently from the upper flanges. I do not wish it to be understood, however, that l confine my .invention entirely to the precise form of' clamping devices or to the form ot locking device herein shown and described, as either maybe changed and still perform substantially the same operations,

but

that l do claim, broadly, as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl. As a new article of manufacture, a railway-tie section consisting of a rolled-metal plate having the vertical body portion c,provided with the central longitudinal slot, e, and the oblique end slots, f and g, and having the upper horizontal flange, l), provided with the cut-out and raised clampin devices c' and and the central transverse slot, 71 and having the lower horizontal flange, d, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a ailway-tie, of the vertical longitudinal sections secured together side by side and capable of a longitudinal movement in rela-tion to each other, and provided with laterally-proj ecting upper flanges and locking devices, as the diagonal slots cut through the said vertical .sections and crossing each other, and the bolts passed through the crossings of the said slots for retaining the said clamping devices in engagement with the rails, substantially as set forth.

The combination, in a railway-tie, of the tie-section a, having in its body portion the longitudinal slot e' and the oblique slots j' and g, and having the longitudinal fiange Z), provided on its upper surface with the railclamping devices i and j, with. the tie-section IOO IIO

it plaoed with its side againstt-he side of the said section a, and having` in its body portion a slot7 e', coincident with the said slot e, and the oblique slots f and g', crossing the slots f and g and provided with a flange, Z1', havingI the raised clamping devices e" and j', and the bolt vn, passed through the said slots e and y e', and the holis o, passed through the said l oblique slots, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I ariix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL TIAGl-XR'VFY,

lit-messes:

JAS. E. Trionas, W. 1I. POWER. 

